Josie's Misfit Ranch

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Ellensburg, WA
Josie's Misfit Ranch

We save animals wounded in body & spirit - the forgotten and discarded misfits who deserve love too.
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Josie’s Misfit Ranch cares and advocates for misfit animals so they can find forever homes and live their best lives. “Misfit” animals are wounded in body or spirit who have been discarded, mistreated or ignored because they are considered less than “perfect.” We show these animals the love and compassion they deserve, build their confidence, and focus on all they can do instead of what they can’t

so they can become important members of their forever families. Josie is a beautiful redheaded diva from North Carolina, who was saved by another dog rescue just hours before she was scheduled to be euthanized. She was adopted by Marla Pugh, who had previously been a crazy cat lady, but wanted to expand her lunacy to dogs as well. Josie became Marla’s best friend, serving as her family when she lived away from her human one. Josie and Marla settled into their 10-acre ranch located in Ellensburg, Washington in 2019. Inspired by her love for Josie, Marla vowed to help other animals and connected with Mikey’s Chance Rescue in the Tri-Cities. It was through this partnership where she fell in love with special needs animals. Marla added to her pack with Xander, a one-eyed German Shepherd; Loki, a miniature German Shepherd whose legs were deformed from birth; and Sophie, a German Shepard who has a troubled past and lost half her sight to pannus, a degenerative eye condition. Over the years, Marla fostered several animals – all with special needs.

11/14/2024

We are proud to announce the newly formed Kittitas County Animal Coalition, an animal advocacy group of local rescues including ARRF Animal Rescue, KCFOA, the Yakima Humane Ellensburg Shelter and Josie’s Misfit Ranch. We are not a new rescue organization, but instead are working together to amplify our voices for animal welfare and work on shared challenges. We have chosen to first take on the spay and neuter issue in Kittitas County, providing more low cost alternatives for low income families to alter their pets and in turn slow the epidemic of unwanted litters.

Our first project is being held in partnership with our friends at Valley Veterinary Hospital & Cascade East Animal Clinic and will provide neuters for more than 35 cats. This low cost clinic was directly marketed to the neediest in our community with outreach to FISH Community Food Bank, HopeSource and the Ellensburg Adult Activity Center. The response has been incredible, with spots filled in just two days. Many more have been contacting us and Valley Vet and we’ve sadly had to turn them away. But we are working on future events to help continue filling the incredible need.

We ask that instead of calling Valley Vet directly to please join our wait list and we will contact you about future events. You can’t be added to the waitlist by calling Valley Vet. Walk-ins will also not be allowed at the neuter event. Go here to sign up: https://form.Jotform.com/243185668771166

A HUGE thank you to Valley Vet for donating their time and supplies to make this first neuter clinic possible. We appreciate your partnership! We are stronger together!

11/12/2024

Training is a key component at JMR. Not only does training help animals get over past trauma, it also helps them be more successful in their forever home, leading to higher adoption rates and more successful adoptions. We work with 5 amazing balanced trainers, but our ultimate goal is to have our fosters build up advanced knowledge so they can help their foster animals be the best they can be without having to always go to a trainer.

Recently some of our fosters came to a special training session held by Kat Comstock, owner of In Stride LLC in Seattle, to help increase their training skills and get specific help on challenges they are having with their current fosters. Thanks to a grant from the City of Ellensburg, we will also soon launch an online learning management system (LMS) for our fosters so they can continue to work on their skills and eventually help others increase their knowledge. It’s part of a greater goal we have to better educate the community so fewer dogs are surrendered or dumped due to behavior or training issues. We also want to provide a best-in-class foster system so that people who want to help animals by fostering get all the support they need.

If you are interested in fostering and increasing your knowledge about training and animal care, please email [email protected]
We can’t save animals without fosters! You can help us save more lives. 🐾💚🧡🦴

11/11/2024

Today we salute our veterans … both human and K-9, who do so much to assure our freedom and safety. Thank you for your service!

Did you know that dogs who serve in the US military typically have a rank one above their handlers to assure they are not mistreated?

You can learn more about dogs in the military, including the most famous ones, here:
https://hiarmymuseumsoc.org/2021/10/a-history-of-military-working-dogs-mwds/ #:~:text=Upon%20completion%20of%20their%20training,is%20approximately%209%2D11%20years.

11/10/2024

Meet Scout! This 5-year old, 25 pound bundle of energy was given up by his family and is looking for someone to love him forever. He would do best in a home with either no other dogs or laid back small dogs.

According to his foster: “He LOVES fetch. Holy cow! And he’s SOOO LOVEY. It’s adorable. He’s absolutely incredible on the leash. Perfect in his crate. Completely accident free aside from one scared p**p the day we brought him. He’s hyper once he is comfortable with you.”

He is fixed, microchipped and will be available soon! You can apply for Scout at https://josiesmisfitranch.org/fillable-dog-application

11/09/2024

We are excited to announce the winners of our Halloween Art Contest. Kids entered their original art created at our Halloween party to win a JMR t-shirt. We were blown away by their talent!

6 and under category: Charlie, 6-years-old; “Pumpkin”

7-10 category: Alexis, 10-years-old; “Black Cat”

10 and up category: Remi, 13-years-old; “Monsters”

11/09/2024

Congratulations to Sophia, who won our raffle at our Halloween Party for this amazing and fun gift basket donated by Buddy's Barkery. Sophia used her own money to enter the raffle and win the basket for her mom. Sophia you have an amazing heart and an amazing smile. 😊 Your mom must be so proud! 🥹

11/08/2024

Happy $5 Friday!!! Meet Lucky, one of our senior cats up for adoption in our senior for seniors program. Lucky is the perfect cat to snuggle up with during this winter season! She is currently being fostered right now with her other senior friend, Precious.

$5 Friday contributions go to supporting Lucky, and other foster animals that are wounded in body and spirit. The money from these donations go to providing our rescues food, veterinary care, medicine, litter or p**p bags, and many other resources. We really appreciate all donations made to the ranch, we could not do it without you! Thank you guys so much! 🫶🐾💉

You can donate at www.josiesmisfitranch.org or look for us on PayPal or Venmo!

11/08/2024

*Returned to owner
Found Dog. If you recognize this pet, please contact the Ellensburg Humane Society at 509-925-7387. Proof of ownership will be required to claim.

11/08/2024

Courtesy post!

Lost kitty found at the Ryegrass rest stop. Proof of ownership required. If you know this kitty please contact Tiffany Heger at [email protected] or on Facebook messenger.

11/07/2024

Lloyd the pitty pup playing with his new foster sibling is an example of the viciousness of the breed 😂…

11/05/2024

Congratulations to our raffle winners from our recent Halloween Party! Kenyon’s grandma knew he was an animal lover with dogs and cats so put his name in for our cat basket! Everyone needs a grandma like that!

Torrie has two dogs and entered the dog bed (and more) raffle … one of her dogs is 19 so naturally gets dibs on the new comfy sleep spot. Thank you to everyone who supported us at our Halloween party and entered our raffle!

11/04/2024

The winners have been chosen! It was a very close race in our Pet Costume Contest this year ... so close that in addition to our top 3, we are also naming 2 honorable mentions that tied for fourth place. We will be in touch with all the winners soon for them to collect their prizes. Also look for their photos in our 2025 JMR calendar, which can be pre-ordered at https://josiesmisfitranch.org/josies-store/p/pre-order-2025-josies-misfit-ranch-calendar

FIRST PLACE: Kiyah is the beloved dog of a JMR foster and volunteer Kathylea Gibson and could be seen with our CEO Josie leading the Daschunds and Friends Parade for the last two years. We were saddened when Kiyah passed away from cancer recently, but she lives on in our hearts, and was able to do a photo shoot in her princess outfit prior to her passing that garnered her first place! We know she's smiling in doggy heaven!

SECOND PLACE: Our second place winner Hazelnut is no stranger to the top, placing first last year as a bowl of cereal, and second this year as a beloved granny. Her owner Avery and mom Tia Ross go all out staging the scene for the contest, and their efforts are always appreciated and admired as shown in the voting results.

THIRD PLACE: Daphne Moon won the adoration of her fans this year with her cow costume. Her mom Nicole Klauss captured her cuteness perfectly to net her the third place spot!

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Two entries - Teddy and Lilly - were just a few votes shy of the top 3 and also tied each other, and we couldn't let them not be honored for their cuteness. Teddy is a Misfit Alumni who was born without front legs. Owner Yoon Seraph had a hard time deciding on what costume was best, but the banana got the win. Lilly, owned by April Rohrbach was so cute as a not-so-spooky ghost, she also caught the eye of many voters.

Thank you to everyone who entered their pups in the contest! We will have all the entries on our website later this week.

11/01/2024

Come to the vet with 5 kittens in under 3 minutes 👩‍⚕️🐈‍⬛🩺🐾

Today is $5 Friday, and we just wanted you to see where your money goes. While taking care of animals wounded in body and spirit, our biggest expense is vet bills. Each kitten cost $122 for boosters, and that doesn’t include initial visits and future spay and neuters. We are very blessed to receive a discount from Valley Vet for rescue, and are so thankful for how well they take care of us! With neutering appointments for the Fred Meyer Fab 5 coming up, we would love your support in raising funds for their medical expenses. Thank you so much for all your support and love!! ❤️🐈‍⬛🫶

You can donate at www.josiesmisfitranch.org or look for us on Venmo or PayPal!

10/31/2024

Queen Josie wishes everyone a safe and happy Halloween. Make sure to get more treats than tricks!

Address

Ellensburg, WA
98926

Telephone

+18337804170

Website

http://www.josiesmisfitranch.org/

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Meet Scout! This 5-year old, 25 pound bundle of energy was given up by his family and is looking for someone to love him forever. He would do best in a home with either no other dogs or laid back small dogs. According to his foster: “He LOVES fetch. Holy cow! And he’s SOOO LOVEY. It’s adorable. He’s absolutely incredible on the leash. Perfect in his crate. Completely accident free aside from one scared poop the day we brought him. He’s hyper once he is comfortable with you.” He is fixed, microchipped and will be available soon! You can apply for Scout at https://josiesmisfitranch.org/fillable-dog-application

Lloyd the pitty pup playing with his new foster sibling is an example of the viciousness of the breed 😂… #pitbulllove #pitbulladvocate #misfitdogs #pitbullsandcats

Come to the vet with 5 kittens in under 3 minutes 👩‍⚕️🐈‍⬛🩺🐾 Today is $5 Friday, and we just wanted you to see where your money goes. While taking care of animals wounded in body and spirit, our biggest expense is vet bills. Each kitten cost $122 for boosters, and that doesn’t include initial visits and future spay and neuters. We are very blessed to receive a discount from Valley Vet for rescue, and are so thankful for how well they take care of us! With neutering appointments for the Fred Meyer Fab 5 coming up, we would love your support in raising funds for their medical expenses. Thank you so much for all your support and love!! ❤️🐈‍⬛🫶 You can donate at www.josiesmisfitranch.org or look for us on Venmo or PayPal! #fivedollarfriday #josiesmisfitranch #jmr #queenjosie #animaladoption

This #FiveDollarFriday we are letting you know exactly where your $5 goes! #thankyouforyoursupport

This week’s rescue question is “how many people does it take to run a rescue?” Find out all of the people who play a critical role in helping animals wounded in body and spirit. You also play a big role in helping rescue! Make sure to share our posts, get the word out about rescue and come support us at our events! We are so grateful to have you on our team! If you want to know more about how you can help, please email [email protected]

Thelma loves carrying around her toys. This cutie patootie is still looking for her forever home. If you would like to make this amazing kitten into your family, please fill out our online application at https://josiesmisfitranch.org/fillable-cat-application

Ask the Misfits

This weekend we are launching a new feature where you can ask us questions about rescue. To start things off we are answering a question given to us about how we decide how much to spend on an animal with a medical need. If you have another question for us, please email [email protected] or direct message us!

On Friday we had to say goodbye to the most joyous dog that ever lived … sweet Pepsi. Her legacy will live on forever at the ranch, as a testament to love and endurance. Despite living in a dirty truck and being bred to sell puppies, Pepsi was never sad. Despite having to have an eye removed she remained joyous, even just out of surgery. Even at the end, while coughing from her lung tumors, she comforted those around her. She embraced each moment with exuberance, running full blast out into the world each day despite not being able to see what was ahead of her. She is our inspiration. The ranch seems darker without her light. But we are so blessed to have had her for more than 2 years, making us smile when sometimes we didn’t want to. In honor of Pepsi, and so we can help more senior dogs, please donate to her memory. You can donate below, directly on our website at www.josiesmisfitranch.org or look for us on Venmo or PayPal. We love you so much Pepsi. Run free sweet girl. Heaven is brighter now that you are there. ❤️❤️❤️